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Owner Louise Botterill, who has ran the tattoo studio for six years with her husband, said she burst into tears when she realised what had happened.

"It was such a shock when we walked into the shop this morning," she said.

"At first I didn't even realise because nothing was trashed and there were no initial signs of a break in.

"They have taken all 15 of our tattoo machines which are worth between £300 and £600 each and over £4,000 in cash so we have had to close the shop as they have taken all the equipment we need to trade."

Louise suspects that the culprits got into the shop through the back window.

She added: "The blind is broken so we think they came through the window and left via the back door. It's really odd because they seemed to know where to go for things. The inks and needles have not been touched.

"We have two other members of staff that are also self employed and it has an impact on all of us as we are losing our income. We have families to think about."